Normally, most people might not associate the words “sensational”
and “still-life.” Those people have clearly not seen the work that EES third
grade students just completed! This
project was, to be sure, ambitious for eight and nine-year-olds. Never one to
be deterred by wondering whether children can really do something (Show light
source and effect in first grade? Solder circuits in fifth grade? Of course
they can!), I set out to teach third graders how to observe, sketch, and refine
drafts, while working in traditional and digital media.
Students began by observing clusters of fruit and fabric on
their art tables. The first day was all about making mistakes in pencil, and I let them
know that they would have as many pieces of paper as they needed- look, draw,
look again, draw again. The results were amazing; as kids relaxed and slowed
down, they added overlapping areas, refined shapes, and experimented.
We used these rough gorgeous drafts as a starting point for second drafts
in Sharpie. They could choose to use the Sharpie directly on their sketches or
on new sheets of paper.
Using one of my favorite-ever iPad apps, students photographed
and uploaded their drawings into Colorscape. In Colorscape, the drawings become
a black line drawing and top layer. The coloring that students do is a layer
underneath digitally. The tools like paint bucket, soft brushes, and pens allow
students to fill in their work and begin to add light sources. Thanks to an enormous and generous grant, we had access to 1:1 iPads for students, giving these artists ample time and flexibility to explore the program.
This cohort has been studying light and shadow since first grade,
when they had concurrent science and art units. As they have gotten older and
had more practice, the work has become more sophisticated. Students were here
asked to imply their light direction- in other words, no corner suns- just to show
the direction of the light by applying consistent lights and darks to the
fruits and the surface with highlights and shadows.
After they completed the work digitally, student used a variety
of traditional media, including crayons, oil pastels, markers, and pencils to
create a hand colored version as well. The work is displayed so that the viewer
can see all three, which show the observations, changes, and progress the
artists made.
Stunning still-lifes!
The best I have ever seen by students at this grade level. The students are so, so proud, and we look forward to displaying them in our upcoming February Fine Arts Night.
